28 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 28 - FIFTH LABOUR: THE AUGEAN STABLES WITH NOTES AND INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION

HERCULES 28 - FIFTH LABOUR: THE AUGEAN STABLES

a)
Deinde Eurystheus Herculí hunc labórem graviórem imposuit. Augéás quídam, quí illó tempore régnum in Élide obtinébat, tria mília boum habébat. Hí in stabuló ingentis mágnitúdinis inclúdébantur. Stabulum autem inluvié ac squálóre erat obsitum, neque enim ad hóc tempus umquam púrgátum erat. Hóc Herculés intrá spatium úníus diéí púrgáre iússus est. Ille, etsí rés erat multae operae, negótium suscépit. Prímum mágnó labóre fossam duodévígintí pedum dúxit, per quam flúminis aquam dé montibus ad múrum stabulí perdúxit. Tum postquam múrum perrúpit, aquam in stabulum immísit et tálí modó contrá opíniónem omnium opus cónfécit.

b)

Some words have been chosen for special consideration and are listed below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

Herculi – this is the dative case of Herculis, after the verb imponere which is in the perfect tense imposuit ‘he commanded, he ordered’. Imponere governs a noun in the dative case (or if you prefer is followed by the dative case) because it is a compound verb of in + ponere.

Graviorem – this is the accusative case of the comparative gravior, ‘more grave, burdensome, more difficult’ or sometimes simply as we have translated here ‘harder’.

Quidam – a certain, a man called, indefinite pronoun.

Illo tempore – at that time, ablative used to indicate time when.
Regnum obtinebat - 'was holding the kingdom' or as we would probably say 'was ruling the kingdom' or 'was ruler of the kingdom'.
Elide – the ablative of Elis, (Gen. Elidis, f.,) to indicate place where with the preposition in.

Milia boum – milia is the plural of the noun mille (one thousand); one thousand cattle would be mille boves but here we have milia boum. Boum is the genitive of the plural noun bos as in Latin after numbers we put the noun in the genitive case; we say ‘three thousands of cattle’ This is called the partitive genitive. ‘One thousand cattle' would be

mílle boves.

ingentís magnitudinis – is the genitive of description; like the ablative of description it always consists of a noun with some modifying word.

Inluvie ac squalore – ablative case meaning ‘with filth and with dirt' (from the firth declension noun: inluvies, gen. -eí, f., dirt, filth and the third declension noun squalor, gen. -oris (squaleo, be dirty), m., dirt, filth.

Obsitum – ‘covered’ past participle of the third conjugation verb ob-sero, -serere, -seví, -situs, meaning sow, plant; cover, fill.

neque enim umquam – for … never; for not ever…12.

Erat multae operae - was of a lot of work.

duodevígintí pedum – in Latin eighteen is two-from-twenty, before pedum ‘of feet’ i.e.  i.e. in width.

Duxit – we have put here ‘which went’ as this word is used with reference to the progress of the work on a wall or ditch from one end of it to the other.

Opus – another word for work meaning that upon which one is working or of the completed work; balor means heavy or exhausting work; opera relates to voluntary exertion or efford.

Fluminis – genitive case of flumen, inis n. third declension noun ‘river’.

Stabuli – genitive of stabulum, i., n ‘of the stable, or of the enclosure’.

c)

Note: This section is not translated into idiomatic English but is intended, together with the notes, to give you the gist of the meaning; you can then come up with your own improved translation.

Deinde Eurystheus Herculí hunc labórem graviórem imposuit.

Then Eurystheus gave Hercules this harder task to perform.

Augéás quídam, quí illó tempore régnum in Élide obtinébat,

A certain Augeas, who at that time held a kingdom in Elid (was ruler of a kingdom in Elid),

tria mília boum habébat.

Had three thousand cattle.

Hí in stabuló ingentis mágnitúdinis inclúdébantur.

These were kept in a stable of a huge size.

Stabulum autem inluvié ac squálóre erat obsitum,

The stable however was covered with filth and dirt.

neque enim ad hóc tempus umquam púrgátum erat.

For till this time it had not ever been cleaned.

Hóc Herculés intrá spatium úníus diéí púrgáre iússus est.

This Hercules within the space of one day was ordered to clean.

Ille, etsí rés erat multae operae, negótium suscépit.

He, though this involved a lot of work, undertook the task.

Prímum mágnó labóre fossam duodévígintí pedum dúxit,

Firstly with great effort he made a ditch which went eighteen feet,

per quam flúminis aquam dé montibus

through which the water of the river from the mountains

ad múrum stabulí perdúxit.

He channeled to the wall of the stable.

Tum postquam múrum perrúpit,

Then after he broke the wall,

aquam in stabulum immísit et tálí modó

he sent the water into the stable and in this way

contrá opíniónem omnium opus cónfécit.

Contrary to the opinion of everyone, he carried out the task.

d) The following section is as a) but without the macrons for you to copy and translate.

Deinde Eurystheus Herculi hunc laborem graviorem imposuit.

Augeas quidam, qui illo tempore regnum in Elide obtinebat, tria milia boum habebat. Hi in stabulo ingentis magnitudinis includebantur. Stabulum autem inluvie ac squalore erat obsitum, neque enim ad hoc tempus umquam purgatum erat. Hoc Hercules intra spatium unius diei purgare iussus est. Ille, etsi res erat multae operae, negotium suscepit.

Primum magno labore fossam duodeviginti pedum duxit, per quam fluminis aquam de montibus ad murum stabuli perduxit.

Tum postquam murum perrupit, aquam in stabulum immisit et tali modo contra opinionem omnium opus confecit.